My cat is limping...

Graemer is limping right now. He is quite still today, but I think it is due to his sore leg. My guess is that he jumped from/to something and sprained it. Has anyone else had a cat with a sprain? I hate to take him to the Vet on the weekend...$$$$$...but don't want him to injure himself beyond what is wrong right now. He can walk on it, but limps. Yikes. The last time this happened (on a weekend) it turned out to be a bee sting and it cost me almost $300 at the emergency vet. Shall I let it be for a day or two? Thanks.

Mocha Bean has had a sprained paw before... Of course she did on a weekend also. I being the "Paranoid Parent" that I am, FREAKED. Called the vet and he said to wait it out and see if it got worse. It didn't, THANK GOD! But I kept and eye on her, finally found out she had sprained it jumping from the counters in the kitchen cause I caught her missing the jump from one counter to the other. I'd keep an eye on poor Graemer, but hopefully it's just a sprain from some sort of "Kitty Acrobatics". Hope Graemer gets well soon he's a handsome one!

Thanks LoudLou - did the vet do or give the cat anything? Right now Graemer is at the highest point in the kitchen, even though he still has a tender paw. He leaps from and to the strangest places and I suppose he did one too many this time, but, from his current antics, he is ok. He seems to have pain every now and then. He has this pitiful look on his face while hold up his paw. I just heard him drop down from the cabinet....guess he will survive. If it keeps up through tomorrow, I will call the vet on Monday just for the cat's sake! Just saw Graemer heading for the sofa - limping.... Yikes. Pets. They are just like kids! Thank god we don't have to send them to college!

sasvermont, yes, I would wait and see what happens, but if you see him someplace high up, you might want to get him down yourself so he doesn't have to jump. He might not be ready to come down but moms always know best don't they? I don't think the jumping up will hurt him, but if you can keep him from jumping down, it might prevent any further injury or make a sprain worse.

Peanut was limping there for awhile, and I have no idea what caused it, but after a day or two she was fine and quite back to normal, so just keep an eye on him and try to keep him from jumping down from anywhere too high up.

That happened to my kitty Blackie.(black SH Domestic)
He is the heaviest of all the cats and has the shortest
legs of any of them. I used to call him El Tubbo, but stopped
b/c I wouldn't want to scar him emotionally.LOL. Blackie
missed a jump and fell(I'm pretty sure) and he limped for
a few days. I ended up taking him to the vet for a checkup.
The vet checked him out for breaks or sprains & then gave
him a 'pain shot'. Blackie showed marked improvement the
next day afterwards. Didn't really think he broke anything
but he looked soooo pitiful going up & down the stairs,
I decided to let the vet decide if it should be treated.
Hope Graemer is feeling better soon !! Liz.

Thank you!

Thank you for all your comments and suggestions. Graemer slept lots yesterday (don't they always?) and is snoozing right now. He is still limping although putting weight on it when he is sitting. Not like yesterday, when he would hold his paw up as to say "look Mommie, I've got a sore paw again - can you "pix it?"...I feel so quilty not taking him to the vet, but less now that I know it is fairly common. As I said earlier, if he is still having a problem, I will call the Vet on Monday. Thanks again for your comforting advice! I just love this web site. Such wonderful people!

Graemer, how are you doing today? I hope no more limping so your mommy won't be worried anymore! Casper has had limping problems few times too, he made their scratching pole toy fall and hurt himself there, and kept limping for a while, but it went off then. Of course I was about to call the vet, but my husband said let's wait and see, it should go away since he still can walk and wasn't laying down all the time. Few hours later, he was fine again, I guess the most came from the scary fall, not the fact that he got hurt....

Hi Sasvermont - This limping thing happened to my Braydee when he was really little. Turns out he probably pulled a muscle in his leg. I did take him to the vet but that was to ease my mind. Her examination just made me feel better that nothing was out of joint or broken and he healed within a couple of weeks. Hopefully that's all it is. I'd still have it checked just to ease your mind though. Did you check him over to see that he hasn't been bitten. Sometimes the smallest bite can get infected and cause a real problem.

Not better - just more quiet now

Thanks folks. Graemer was really quiet yesterday and did walk on the leg. He is sleeping so much that Miley is now coming to me for entertainment. I called the Vet and made an appointment for Thursday, hoping that he will have improved by then. I checked his paw and leg for cuts etc. Since he doesn't go outside and since there are no bees out this time of year, it just has to be a pull or tear of some sort. I think he is in pain because he is squinting his little eyes a lot and sleeping in awkward positions. He doesn't walk with his usual strut. Miley keeps attacking him, wanting to play. I had to keep them apart yesterday, off and on, to give Graemer the rest he needs. Since there is no swelling and the leg is not hot - I am hoping all this will go away. If not, he will see the Vet later this week. Cats.

Oh poor Graemer, I wish you leg didn't hurt anymore , poor baby. Try to rest now as much as possible, and hopefully in no time, you'll be back to normal. I hope the vet will cure you then if you're not ok by then.

Just arrived home from work

Graemer is doing ok. He met me at the door and scratched on the post, as usual. He ate and then jumped back on the sofa and curled up for a nap. Miley, his sister is running around not knowing what to do with herself. He actually looks as though his back is bothering him rather than his leg. I will give it a couple more days. He is eating and using the litter box - just not playing! I hope he gets better soon because it is creating much worry for me. You know how some pet owners can be!

Oh Gosh, now I'm worried a little bit. The fact that
he's just "doing the basics" but not acting like himself
by not playing & sleeping (more than usual?).
How do you think his back might be involved? I was
starting to feel better about Graemer but this is worrisome.
Please get better quickly little buddy !!! Paws crossed for
a speedy recovery. Liz.

A bit better this morning

Graemer was really quiet again later last night but rallied this morning. I suppose he decided he was feeling better this AM and did his usual wake up call for me and then walk in the shower after my showering.

He isn't quite back to normal, but moving around much better than the last couple of days. I think he has figured out a way to move, without hurting so much and it just doesn't look so natural to me. He doesn't have his normal gait. I hope by him staying quiet for the most part, he will recover a little each day!

I will not cancel the Vet visit until tomorrow, just to stay on the safe side. I was so worried last night that I considered taking him to the emergency vet, but then thought about it and decided that I too would be very quiet and sleep a lot if I was hurting and had a sore muscle/paw/leg etc.

I wish he would stop jumping to and from such awkward places. He drives me crazy. The breeder told me that when he was a kitten, he jumped from a high spot onto a bed post and nearly knocked himself out. He just doesn't understand how dangerous it can be. When he was several months old he jumped from my Mom's second floor balcony onto grass, then ran away - with my chasing him for hours. He has no fear!

The breeder was telling me about one of her other cats that loves to get on to the rafters/beams in her living room. She has no idea how the cat does it. It seems to be an obession with Graemer, but not his sister Miley.

Thanks for listening. Thanks for your support. I know this wasn't life threatening, but it surely looked serious to me!